One question in the aftermath of the spill is what the oil will do to the deep scattering layer, the biodiverse organisms that dwell below the sunlit layer of the ocean. Many cetaceans and commercially important fish depend on this layer for food.

Birds oiled during the Michigan oil spill are being cleaned and released. The released birds wear green bands that mark the treated birds for continued monitoring. So far, 44 animals have been cleaned and released, and another 205 are still being treated.